I am brewing my first lager, a doppelbock. I checked my gravity tonight and my fermentation is about half way through. I know the diacetyl rest is usually done when fermentation is about 75% done. However my wife and I are going out of town tomorrow for 4 days and the beer will probably be past the 75% mark when we get back.

I tasted the beer when I took the sample and I do not taste anything buttery or slick, but I know that a diacetyl rest never hurts. I pitched the yeast at 50 and have been fermenting at tha too

So should I do the rest now or wait until we get back? I figure that it will still be fermenting when we get back and since I didn't detect any diacetyl, if there is any, the yeast won't need much to clean it up

I never try to rush a beer since fermentation is a natural process that must run its course.

I made a couple of "speed brews" before that were good to drink right away, but once I kegged it the diacetyl showed its ugly head. I had to add more yeaast to the keg and let it sit at 70F for another week to clean itself up.

I still do the "speed brew" recipe, but I let it finish cleaning up before racking.

Im not really going for the speed brew or trying to rush it, just trying to decide when the diacetyl rest will be the best....

Since Im not tasting it, I think I will wait until I get back. Fermentation will almost be done, but I figure with the little that it has left, that will be enough to clean up any of the low level of diacetyl that may be there. Then its time for 6-8 week of lagering....